Following your confrontation with the last wave of foes at the bend, you can run forward. You'll see a staircase on your left that spirals up to a mausoleum. Ignore it for now. It's very, very important that you don't run up those stairs and enter the structure yet. Why? Well, after fending off another crew of Goblins that attack you at the base of those stairs, you can instead run forward into the brush. The path will bend leftward and lead to an opening at a dead end. You can kill the pathetic contingent of Goblins here, and then use the healing station they were guarding. It's important that you heal-up here, since you'll soon find yourself in a fairly difficult boss battle.

Once you've healed-up, go ahead and backtrack to the stairs leading up to the mausoleum. You won't be able to get into the building through the front doors, but if you head around to the left side of the crumbling structure, you should be able to gain entry by jumping up to hang on some ledges. In a cutscene, Gabriel will pull himself up and drop down into the building. You can then walk forward to the altar ahead, where another cutscene takes place. Gabriel places his cross into the altar, where it gets powered-up with the Hook Tip. You can now use glowing hooks, like the one above the window at the back end of the structure, to pull yourself up and swing around. Follow the on-screen prompts to do just that, and kick through the window once you're hanging in the air to continue.

This is the boss fight we've been clamoring about. It's not that it's necessarily super-difficult to get through (unless you're playing on an advanced difficulty setting, that is), but if you didn't follow our advice and heal yourself before getting here, you're going to be in for a bit of a rude awakening. The boss here is the Swamp Troll. You can follow the damage you've dealt to him, as with any other boss fight in the game, via the health meter at the upper right corner of the screen. The Swamp Troll uses melee attacks exclusively, but he does so in a variety of ways. Therefore, surviving this battle is knowing how to anticipate his attacks, and how to avoid them successfully.

The Swamp Troll's standard slash attacks can be avoided by rolling backwards or to the side, but things get a little more complicated when the Troll decides to grab a gravestone and start swinging it around wildly. When he does, his reach increases, so be careful. He'll also be able to smash the tombstones into the ground, causing a shockwave that must be avoided. To avoid both being struck by the swing and the shockwave, retreat backwards with a roll, and then immediately jump upwards to avoid the wave. Otherwise, you have the tools necessary to take the Swamp Troll out. Sheathe your daggers and stick with the whip. Consecutive hits will stun the creature, but don't push things too far. Getting too comfortable during the fight will lull you into a false sense of security. But there's no reason to be secure until the creature is fully felled.

Note that the blue treasure chest you open up after this fight is actually a Brotherhood Ark. It's the first one you'll find in the game, and virtually the only one you won't have to work for, backtrack for, or otherwise have a special item or skill to acquire. It will give you a +5 to your dagger capacity once acquired.